Preble’s Boys
13 SEPTEMBER 1803
PREBLE’S BOYS
On this date, CDORE Edward A. Preble reached the Mediterranean in his flagship CONSTITUTION, 44, with PHILADELPHIA, 36; ARGUS, 16; SYREN, 16; ENTERPRISE, 12; NAUTILUS, 12; VIXEN, 12. He assumed command of our Mediterranean Squadron and began efforts to stem piracy against merchant shipping by the Barbary States of Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, and Morocco. Assigned to his squadron were over a dozen junior officers, none of whom was over the age of 30, sparking Preble to remark that he had been given, “nothing but a pack of boys.”
Preble’s single-minded aptitude for military life manifested staunch commitment and bold courage. As a junior officer he had learned and expanded the ideas of his mentor CAPT Thomas Truxtun–concepts of discipline and dedication to duty that have become foundational to our modern core values of honor, courage, and commitment. And Preble’s passion for service was tempered by genuine concern for his bluejackets and junior officers. He shared responsibility with subordinates and encouraged free thought. He generously credited the achievements of his charges and fought for promotions and honors for the deserving. He fostered an aggressive spirit and held himself and his men to the highest standards of conduct and ethics. The respect and admiration he engendered with his subordinates has been the subject of frequent mention.
Preble’s influence on his officers was profound, most remaining in US Naval service long after their tours under him. In fact, Preble’s metaphor stuck when fifteen of his Squadron officers proudly proclaimed themselves “Preble’s Boys.” LT’s David Porter, Charles Stewart, Isaac Hull, Thomas MacDonough, Isaac Chauncey, James Lawrence, Stephen Decatur, Daniel Patterson, Lewis Warrington, and Johnston Blakely read like a who’s who of the later War of 1812. Others, William Bainbridge, Stephen Cassin, James Biddle, Jacob Jones, and William Burrows have become embodiments of our naval heritage. Indeed, of the 18 significant ship-to-ship victories of the later War of 1812, 17 were commanded by one of “Preble’s Boys.” Since a 1950 publication by Fletcher Pratt (below), Preble’s development of junior officers has been lionized.
On the other hand, some historians have criticized the romanticization of “Preble’s Boys.” Undoubtedly their sterling character and professional demeanor were influenced by Preble, as well as other officers under whom they served. In that day our Navy was of a size that most senior officers of the War of 1812 would have unavoidably experienced earlier service under Preble. And, it is argued, their success in 1812-15 was as much a consequence of their service longevity and the “right stuff” they naturally possessed.
Watch for more “Today in Naval History” 20 SEP 26
CAPT James Bloom, Ret.
Crawford, Mike. “Preble’s Boys or Just the Right Stuff.” DC Military Website, AT: http://ww2.dcmilitary.com/stories/102909/southpotomac_28123.shtml, retrieved 10 September 2012.
McKee, Christopher. Edward Preble: A Naval Biography 1761-1807. Annapolis, MD: USNI Press, 1972.
Pratt, Fletcher. Preble’s Boys: Commodore Preble and the Birth of American Sea Power. New York, NY: William Sloane Associates, 1950.
“Preble and “His Boys.” AT: http://navyadministration.tpub.com/12966/css/12966_38.htm, retrieved 10 September 2012.
Sweetman, Jack. American Naval History: An Illustrated Chronology of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, 1775-Present, 3rd ed. Annapolis, MD: USNI Press, 2002, p. 18.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Preble’s metaphor of “a pack of boys” may not be completely accurate. Reliable sources quote his true utterance as “nothing but a parcel of children.”
CONSTITUTION (later nicknames “Old Ironsides”) was one of six frigates authorized by Congress in 1794 to give a measure of strength to our nascent Navy. All six were named for elements of our novel, representative government, our first formal naming convention: CONSTITUTION, CONGRESS, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES, CONSTELLATION (the stars on our ensign), and CHESAPEAKE (our largest and most important bay). Prior to 1794 warships were named in a variety of patterns, such as for prominent men of our history (EFFINGHAM, WARREN, TRUMBULL, HANCOCK) or noxious insects (FLY, HORNET, WASP, MOSQUITO) to reflect their smalls size, but deadly sting.
